Disruption, Beer Edition:Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen is no stranger to working with advertisers. His cult hit IFC network show Portlandia has a partnership with Subaru. But now Armisen has partnered with Heineken in a campaign called "Routine Interruption" which sees the comedian cold call unsuspecting people on a pay phone (and follows on the brand's campaign featuring Neil Patrick Harris). It's a quirky idea, but will it help sell beer?Continue reading...

Honda has long been known for conservative vehicle styling and a steady-as-she-goes approach to building sales and market share, which has worked remarkably well over the decades.

But increasingly, Honda is the auto brand that is pushing the envelope with its marketing and advertising efforts in the US and elsewhere, taking flyers on damaged and strange platforms, producing some of the most notable new social media campaigns, and putting a lot of money and muscle behind a minivan segment that many automakers have written off. Year-to-date sales are up 9 percent, so something is working.

The latest examples include a new addition to its "Start Something Special" ad campaign that has been underscoring the relationships that people have with their Hondas. The brand has created a #StartSomething hashtag to invite stories by Honda fans that will be archived digitally and then evolve into efforts under the "Honda Loves You Back" program—what Honda marketing executive Michael Accavitti called "feel-good surprises we've orchestrated over the past few yeas to show gratitude to those who have expressed love for the brand."Continue reading...

It wasn't by accident that Honda picked its Odyssey minivan for the kickoff TV advertisement under its new "Start Something Special" positioning this week. The new version of the van has some nifty features, and the nameplate has some continuing appeal, adding up to the possibility that pundits have written off the American minivan segment of the auto market way too quickly.

Honda sold nearly 80,000 Odysseys in the US market for the year to date through July, up by more than 8 percent—an important sign that the segment, and perhaps especially the Honda Odyssey, still has some life left in it. Sales have indeed declined over the last several years, and the minivan long has been left for moribund by observers who've noted that soccer moms largely have moved on to some form of SUV.

But Honda executives see the opportunity to gain share in a segment that, after the shakeout of some volume, remains important. "It's a segment that has taken its best shot, that's for sure," Tom Peyton, assistant vice president of national advertising for American Honda, told brandchannel.Continue reading...

Super Bowl XLVII is getting closer, so more heavyweight brands are making the required heavyweight commitment to advertise during the Big Game on CBS on February 3.

The network said today that all of the available spots are sold out at around $4 million per 30 seconds, with the latest returning brands including Chrysler from last year and Taco Bell from three years ago.

Budweiserplans to debut Budweiser Black Crown, an amber lager with higher alcohol content, with a 30-second spot during the game. Anheuser-Busch InBev introduced Bud Light Platinum during last year's game, while Black Crown was developed via last year's Project 12 regional brewmaster challenge.

Taco Bell had a very good year with a snap-back in sales on the strength of new produccts such as Doritos Locos Tacos, and so the Yum!-owned brand has confirmed it's suiting up for the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010. The chain's 60-second spot will "support the brand’s 'LIVE MÁS' tagline and spirit."

Doritos, meanwhile, tapped actress Ali Landry, who rose to fame during her 2008 Super Bowl commercial debut with the brand, to announce the five finalists for its fan-voted "Crash the Super Bowl" creative commercial challenge.Continue reading...

What would Bob Barker think? Snoop Dogg kicked off Celebrity Charity Week on The Price is Right on CBS today by winning more than $70,000 for his charity the Snoop Youth Football League, his youth football league based in Chicago. TPR host Drew Carey and the longrunning game show's producers are matching the contestants' winnings to boost the charitable donations this week, which will also see Jenny McCarthy, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Daughtry, and Heidi Klum take part for their favorite charities. Below, the Doggfather — a tireless endorser — talks backstage about his latest star turn.Continue reading...